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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
A hostage standoff with real threat; some violence when law enforcement arrives
Language
Some
Moderate language
Sexual Content
Barely any
No explicit content; romantic tension between two trapped adults
Substance Use
Barely any
Mild; a flask in the glove compartment
Emotional Intensity
Some
The ethics of a journalist inside the story she's covering, what it means to intervene versus witness, two people discovering each other under impossible circumstances
What this book is about
TV reporter Tiel Shimp is covering a story when she stops at a roadside gas station in west Texas and walks into a hostage situation. Two teenagers — a pregnant girl and the boy who loves her — have taken the diner hostage to escape their controlling families. Tiel has to decide whether to call in the story of her career or help them survive the night. Russell Dendy, a veterinarian also caught inside, becomes her unlikely partner. Sandra Brown's standalone thriller is tighter and warmer than her usual suspense.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
hostage situation with genuine threat
a pregnant teenager and a difficult birth
mild violence
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